2K has confirmed that it has laid off workers at Civilization developer Firaxis Games.
In a statement, a 2K spokesperson told Game Developer that there was a “staff reduction today at Firaxis Games,” as the studio “restructures and optimizes” its development process for “adaptability, collaboration, and creativity.”
The statement doesn’t disclose numbers, but sources close to the situation told Game Developer that dozens of workers have been impacted by the cuts.
On LinkedIn, multiple developers have mentioned being laid off throughout the course of the day. This includes writer Emma Kidwell, senior quality assurance tester Logan Blackwood, lead character artist Matthew Davis, and producer Maya H.
“I was affected by the layoffs at Firaxis, and am open to full time writing work at your studio,” Kidwell wrote. “I’m an incredibly adaptable writer who wrote on Civilization VII and Marvel’s Midnight Suns during my (nearly) 5 years at the studio, and I encourage you to keep an eye out for my former colleagues who were also laid off.”
“I was laid off this morning from Firaxis, which was my favorite job I’ve had,” echoed H.
2K continues to lay off workers after its parent company Take-Two projected annual growth in 2025
As part of Take-Two’s annual financial report for the year ended March 31, 2025, the company said it was still projecting about 5 percent growth revenue and net bookings (consumer spending on digital goods) for the year ahead, even after delaying Grand Theft Auto VI to 2026. The expectation was for Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, and the 2026 iterations of NBA 2K and WWE 2K to accrue $6 billion in revenue and net bookings by March 2026. In a Q&A call with investors, CEO Strauss Zelnick said this will be “the new baseline” for the company.
Since then, multiple developers have been reportedly caught in layoffs. In July, developers at 2K-owned mobile studio Cat Daddy Games announced their departures on LinkedIn, which apparently wasn’t the first round of layoffs at the studio in 2025, with former devs mentioning a “corporate restructuring” at the company back in May.
In late August, 2K confirmed a downsizing at Cloud Chamber, the developer working on Bioshock 4. The news comes mere weeks after a Bloomberg report on August 1, which stated that Bioshock 4 recently failed a publisher review. This reportedly led to leadership changes and a narrative overhaul. At the same time, Bloomberg reported that employees were worried that layoffs could follow.